Disclose public procurement contracts

Bangladesh has clear legal and regulatory procedures for awarding natural resource extraction contracts and licences, but provides only limited information on public procurement contracts, according to a US government report.

The interim government introduced an electronic public procurement system, but access to the system could be improved, said the 2026 Fiscal Transparency Report: Bangladesh, published recently by the US Department of State.

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The report recommended that Bangladesh publish basic information on natural resource extraction awards and public procurement contracts to improve fiscal transparency.

It said the interim government made progress by publishing its end-of-year report within a reasonable time and making its proposed and enacted budgets available online.

Budget information was generally reliable, and the government publicly disclosed its debt obligations. The budget also provided a fairly complete picture of planned revenues and expenditures, including income from natural resources.

However, the report said Bangladesh’s budget documents were not prepared in line with internationally accepted standards. They did not provide details of spending by executive offices or a complete picture of government revenues and expenditures.

The report also raised concerns about Bangladesh’s supreme audit institution, the Comptroller and Auditor General. It said the institution did not review government accounts and did not meet international standards for independence.

To improve transparency, the US recommended that Bangladesh align its budget documents with international standards, ensure actual revenues and expenditures broadly match the approved budget, and strengthen the independence and resources of the supreme audit institution.

It also recommended publishing audit reports on time, with detailed findings and recommendations.